Dog Keeps Vigil Outside Hospital For A Week, Not Knowing His Owner Is Dead

In Argentina, a Labrador Retriever has been spotted outside of a hospital, patiently waiting for his owner to return. Unfortunately, he was also unaware that his owner has passed away and will never return.

The six-year-old lab, Toto has been outside of the Pablo Soria Hospital in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy for about a week. Photos have been shared of the dog, tugging on people’s heartstrings worldwide.

Toto’s owner apparently had asked for his dog to be brought to the hospital. The local media reported that he wanted to say goodbye to his beloved pet.

Unfortunately, the owner passed away while still in the hospital and the relatives did not bother to take the dog home after leaving. Toto stayed at the hospital door faithfully, right where they left him.

An employee for the local animal protection organization, Fatima Rodriguez spoke with reporters on Toto’s situation. Currently, they are looking for a new owner but they do feel that it is necessary to keep him inside a closed house at this point. They are concerned that Toto would try to escape to come back to the hospital if he had the opportunity to do so.

Toto has been visited by a veterinarian. He needs surgery on his paw and neutering is also recommended. That being said, he’s a good dog, well-behaved and welcomes people to the hospital with a wagging tail. He even allows people to pet him as they come and go.

Some of the local residents have been looking after Toto. One of them had the following to say about the pooch: “He seems to believe his owner is going to come out someday to take him home.”